In the Silence of the Night
by A dream and a wish
Summary: A shadow wielding meta-human finds herself in a bind when Joker has his eye on her and Batman wants nothing to do with her. Her young friend Danny is now in Joker's clutches and she's found unconscious in the Batcave. Will Batman help? R&R please.
1. Prologue

_Jessica: Hey guys. This is just a random thing that I typed up not too long ago and I liked it and figured that I could make it into a fanfic. It is shorter than what I usually do but I can promise that it's worth your time. _

_Note: I don't own Batman or anything with the DC comics though I would love to. Enjoy_

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Plink…

_Plink…_

_Plink…_

The silence that was once so loving and so sweet was disrupted as the small of raindrops fell upon the steel roves of the old warehouse. Here is where I rest my lonesome head and watched as the men who are oh so clueless to my presence continue on as they load the boat. It was a simple heist. The movement of some illegal or stolen items from land to sea by truck and boat. I had watched them for a time and now was the night where I knew something interesting would happen. The rain only added to the scene of suspense. All were nervous. You could sense it in the way they moved, the way they looked over their shoulder every few seconds. They were tense and had a good reason to be.

The rain calls their attention and one looks up to see black clouds gathering above, threatening them with a warning as if to protect the precious dock and warehouse that they now inhabited. He does not see me for one cannot see black against black. I am clouded in the frightening night. No sane person would dare sit as still as I, watching them like a protecting gargoyle. I do not blink, cannot blink. For if I blink then there may be something missed and the very thing I long for could be gone in a blink of an eye. No I will not blink. I watch them, wait for someone that I know shall show. And almost as if on cue, his cloaked and frightening figure drops from the very sky above. I watch as the men gasp, as the frightening monster of a man destroyed their efforts and left almost all unconscious. I watched as he made quick work of the men. His motions were perfect, beautiful. It was like watching one dance. He was a master at this dance and I was entrance by it but I couldn't remain no matter how much I wanted to. The police would surly be on their way for wherever the fearsome crusader went, the police were sure to follow like love struck puppies.

Now I move. I stood and watched as his cloak bellowed open to reveal the groaning men. I smiled. They didn't stand a chance and neither did I. My motion caught his attention. He turned to me, eyes fierce and I stiffen. "Who are you?" His voice was deep and strong, the greatest voice I could possibly ever hope to hear. This was why I sat here and watched the men. This was who, I feared, I would miss. This was the great Batman and he was glorious.

I straightened, my smile growing though my heart now pumped adrenaline through my shaky body. I waved a hand and the shadows on the roof seemed to dance above it. "I am the shadows that conceal you. I am Night." With that, I pulled my hand to me and the shadows whirled around me suddenly, concealing me in a vortex of black. I watch as he pulled a tool from his useful belt and raised it to aim directly at me. He shoots and a grappling hook snags on the roof edge. The smile faded from my face and I grew serious. The vortex grew in intensity as he pulled himself up to the roof. I took a step back from him as he reached forward. He grabs a hold of my sleeve but the vortex condenses around me and I vanish into the shadows. When he pulled his hand away, a part of my shirt remained in his grip. He looked at it. A normal black t-shirt. He then looks back into the place where I once was and raised his hand to wave it into the now empty space. He looked at the shirt piece, raising it to look at it closely. Not even the great Batman could capture me. For I am the shadows that ravage the city. I am the very darkness in which he uses to hunt. I am Night and I will be watching.


	2. What is this?

Darkness…

Nothing…

I have never seen a darkness so cold and engulfing. Everything is black. Every light extinguished. I can't move. I can't see except for one spec of light before me as it began to slowly appear. I reach and claw, attempting to grasp it but my limbs seems to float through nothing and they tingle with thousands of pricks from invisible needles. I cannot see my hands before me or any body part for that matter. My body is invisible to me but I know its there. I can feel it. As for where I am, I cannot tell you. The only visible thing before me is the light and as I reach for it with my tingling limbs, it slowly grows larger. Somewhere I heard speaking. Than my name. It was spoken so softly, so sweetly.

Somewhere, something twitched. It felt like something touched so lightly on my fingers and the slight movement tingled the ends of my fingers. Another twitch then there was speaking. There were more voices than before. They spoke of someone waking. It confused me. Who was sleeping? Who is it that wakes? My questions remained unanswered as their voices grow louder and with the increase in volume came the increase in light. It grows brighter and soon I had to squint. It was unnaturally bright and it hurt my eyes but I continued forward because it was all I had against this black abyss. Soon the light expanded into slits.

I can now feel my body better. I could feel my arms by my sides now and could feel something below me, something stiff and unwelcoming. The light continues to grow along with my confusion. It flooded my eyes and I wanted to reach up and block them from the assault but my arms were limp at my sides. They were numb and unmoving. My confusion grows as the slits grow larger and soon my whole vision is flooded with agonizing bright light. I now hear people talking but I cannot make out what they are saying. It's all gibberish to me and the hopes of reading their lips for some kind of answer is out of the question considering all I see is white light. Soon I could see what was above me and producing the blinding light. It was rectangular and long. Because of my confusion and dazed mind, it took me awhile to discover what it was. Two long light-bulbs within a rectangular light produced the white illumination.

I stared at it for a moment, questioning where it had come from. I didn't recall the light from before. However, now as I pried deeper into my memory, I realized I couldn't recall anything. The only thing I remember is my name. That was the only thing that stood out strongly. It burned like a flame in the back of my mind, constantly dancing for my attention. All the rest of my memories were dull and blurry.

I couldn't remember my mother's name nor my father's. The names were there. I could see it before me but the letters were fuzzy and though I could see the length and amount of letters, I couldn't remember their names. I gave up the attempt at scavenging through my memories. It only made me tired and more confused. And though my memory was fuzzy and hopes of recalling my past was not likely, I still had a sense of who I was. My name was enough to give me an identity and purpose. For one named wouldn't be useless. One with a name would be important to someone but whom that someone is, that's the baffling and painful part. I would need to discover that for another day. I have more impending things to deal with. Like trying to figure out where I am and who it was that said my name.

As my eyes adjusted to the bright light about me, I looked around slowly to see a number of faces, none that I remember. They all were very business like, faces clear of makeup and hair pulled back tightly. There were two men and a woman, all staring down at me with smirk cockiness. "Well Hello Cassandra," The woman was the first to speak so naturally my eyes were drawn to her first. She wore a labcoat and her long, dark hair was pulled back in a tight bun on the back of her head. Her face was pale, showing she doesn't go out very often and void of any type of makeup. She wore small glasses and though she didn't look all that natural with the glasses, they surprisingly made her face slimmer. She wasn't a bad looking woman but definitely not a model. "Who are you?" I asked as I attempted to sit up. Nothing. There was no reply from my body. It refused to move.

"I am Doctor Spellen. I am in charge of your life signs and to make sure you remain healthy. This is Doctor Stephen," she said as she pointed to an older gentleman in his late years, maybe sixties or even seventies. He had an old, gentle appearance to him like one of a grandfather and his wrinkles only added to the evidence of his age along with his whiting hair, "And this is Doctor Prichard." Her hand moved to that of a younger man. He smiled at him, flashing perfectly aligned and bleached teeth. His face was smooth with no signs of scars from teenage acne or signs of mistreatment. He was rather cute looking with his ruffled dark mass of hair on the top of his head and his obviously colorful shirt under his lab coat. "They were the ones to bring you here and they made sure you survived the operation." Survived? Operation? What was she talking about? I don't remember any need to operate or getting my life being put in danger. What is going on?

"Cassandra, what do you remember before waking?" It was Doctor Prichard that spoke now and I looked to him with confused eyes. "I…I can't remember anything really. It's all just really fuzzy." He nodded slowly, straightening fully. "Yes, that makes sense. I guess you're wondering what's going on here." I nodded slowly and he smiled sweetly at him. "You're an ace patient Cassandra. See you had an accident." Doctor Stephen leaned in close, concern on his features as he regarded her. "Cassandra my dear, your family is dead. We brought you back." "Brought me back?" Doctor Spellen spoke now, resting her hand on my shoulder as she did so. "Yes dear, you died."


	3. Rain, rain go away

How can it be? How could I feel such darkness, such cold darkness when I am was not consumed in the shadows. It felt as if my heart was ripped into shreds and I could do nothing as my cold, dead eyes looked upon the scene that will forever be burned into my memory. My family, my doctors, all of them dead. I could do nothing as the cops came to move me. I would not move. I would not dare to move. Maybe it's a dream. Maybe, just maybe, if I sit here long enough I can actually snap out of it and watch as it fades to show that I'm simply sleeping in my bed with the doctors checking up on me like always. So I remained where I was as the world around be moved in its normal pace. It was as if my whole world had froze and no one else noticed it. I could not look away from their bloody corpses. I couldn't rip my eyes away from such a terrible scene. My body shook as tears fled my lower lids. Why was I crying? This was just a dream. I would awake from it soon. I couldn't understand why I would cry over a dream. After all, a dream is nothing more than that, a simple dream. So I snapped my eyes closed. When I open them it would be gone. All of it would be gone.

So when I snapped my eyes open, it was gone. All of it was gone. I was on my knees, hands resting lifelessly in my lap as I stared at the now empty lab. It had been years. Dust had gathered on the old computers and tools, all now covered with cloths. Though they remained covered, I could see the blood stains on their outside as if they weren't there. I couldn't bring myself to rise from my knees. I couldn't bring myself to look away either. So I remained like that for what seemed like forever. When my legs began to tingle with the feeling of numbness, I rose from them and stepped forward to the first machine. Though the cloth hid its identity, I knew it all to well. This was the main computer. This was where the doctors did most of their work. If it wasn't written down by hand, it was located on here. My face drew blank as I grabbed the cloth, pulling it away to reveal the shattered computer screen, bloody fingerprints on the keyboard. I had deciphered what it had said years ago. It was a simple letter to me. Of course, I couldn't read it on the screen. It was broke when I got here. But the bloody fingerprints were obvious enough to show me what they wanted me to know. "Live" That's all it said. Nothing more than that. Just to live. It was simple enough but yet complex at the same time. I glided my fingertips along the bloody keys, punching out live just as the doctors probably did that day when they were attacked and brutally murdered. I could feel the familiar burning sensation in my eyes. I felt the lump beginning to form in my throat. I locked it away just like all the rest before turning to look at the rest of the lab, the door in the back being the only thing to catch my attention. I stepped forward, grasping a hold of the doorknob and twisting it. It clicked then fall away to reveal what used to be my room. I stared into the room, feeling completely numb as I looked on at my old life. At a life I wished I could just throw away from me. So I snapped my eyes closed, wishing to forget but instead all I did was remember.

"They can't be dead!" I ran from the cop that had a grip on my arm and pushed my way through the crowd of people who parted to let me pass, eyes all sad and depressed as they gazed upon me. I couldn't see or feel their looks of pity as it rained down on me. I only ignored them as I pushed my way back into the lab and went straight for my room. I ran in and just as I would do with the doctors as they raised me, I slammed the door shut before pressing my back firmly against it. Tears now flowed smoothly down my cheeks as I ran forward, tripping over my own two feet and falling hard on the ground. I cried out in pain and misery before pushing myself back up and running to the corner of the room, grasping one of my dolls along the way as I did so. "They can't be gone. They just can't be." I curled up in the corner, clenching the doll tightly to my chest as I rocked slowly back and forth, trying to force the thoughts from my head. The door slowly creaked open and I looked up with hope to only find a uniformed police officer looking down at me with sorrowful eyes. "Come on Cassandra. We need to leave." I ignored him, clenching the doll tighter as reality threatened to push itself into my world. The officer only stepped forward and reached for me. "No! No you can't have me! You can't have me! They're not dead! They're not dead!" The officer struggled to get me away from my corner but shadows suddenly lashed out and consumed me in a tight black cocoon. The police officer called for backup as he tried to keep a hold of me. "They're not dead!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs before the shadows and I vanished from his grip, the only thing remaining with him was the doll I held so dearly to my chest now held tightly in his grasp.

My eyes snapped open again and I found myself somehow leaning against the bedroom door as if to keep the officer out of my room just as I did that night. I straightened and turns my back from the door. "Come on Cassandra. Get a hold of yourself." I sighed as I rested a hand on the doorknob to open the door. Just at that point, a wet droplet of something fell on my shirt. I looked down at it before sliding my finger along it. I looked at my finger before looking up at the ceiling. When I was a child, I begged and begged the doctors to let me change my ceiling to mirrors because I saw it in the movies once and thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Now all it did was reflect a very dirty and fuzzy reflection of my now shaken and crying reflection. I reached a hand up and slid my fingers along the flow of my cheeks, feeling the cold touch of icy tears on their tips. I looked away from the mirrors before looking back at the door. I grasped the doorknob once more before twisting it, freeing the door and stepping out. I needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. So without so much of a look back at the lab, I began to leave. Somehow though, I couldn't help but turn to look one last time as I grasped a hold of the doorknob to lead the very lab. I peered over my shoulder, remember all the good times we had there. And with that, I twisted the doorknob and let myself out of this forsaken world of memories and loss.


	4. And He Just Laughs

Life? What is the meaning of it? Why are we here? I once heard someone say that the whole purpose of life is to find that holy grail, true and justified happiness. Happiness? Really? Could that really be the reason that we're here? Seriously? This glorified hell hole is meant to show us true justified happiness? Justified? Really? Justice does not exist here. Truth is dead. This is Gotham City. This is the hell hole of Hades. The Devil himself would not dare walk here. The demons are our own and we cannot point and blame another. Justice and Truth do not belong here; here where darkness consumes both day and night. We are damned but for some reason we fight. Why do we fight? Why do people like Batman and I fight so vigorously and for what? Truth be told, I cannot tell you. Maybe it's hope. Maybe that tiny glimmer of hope is the only thing we strive for. Maybe we're insane. That could be it. You need to be insane. Only the crazy can capture the crazy. The other superheroes could not live here. They couldn't hope to even step on these cursed grounds. I've watched them try and fail. Those boy scouts can't last with this insanity. Yes they have the skills. Yes they have the power but when faced with insanity and men who don't care if they die, they don't know what to do. With no fear of death, comes the ability to live without fear. Death is the only thing that keeps us cautious. You take that away and you have an immortal foe. Insanity. Maybe that's what we live for. Maybe that's all we have to live for. If that's the case, Batman and I, we're way ahead of the game. Way ahead of it. But insanity is only the tip of the iceberg. Things are about to get just a little crazier.

It was raining. When was it not raining in Gotham? I ignored the thunk of the rain on the roof as I sat there on the edge of it, one leg propped up on the end and the other hanging down, swinging lightly. I was wearing my black sweat pants and black t-shirt, hair hanging soaked around my shoulders. My feet were bare like they usually are. I had an arm coiled round my bent knee and I was looking out at the night. There were few clouds so the rain would stop soon but I didn't care. I wasn't paying enough attention to it to care. I was preoccupied with seeing if I could find him. There was a problem. I needed to talk to him about it but I didn't want to alert the whole city by lighting up the bat signal. So I remained calm and scanned the distance, using shadows to alert me of movements that I could recognize as his. Twice I went to check to see if the person was Batman. And twice was I was disappointed. So now I remained on the roof, peering out in the night and hoping by some way or form that he would just kind of magically appear in front of me. I knew it was a long shot and the hopes of him doing just that wasn't high so you can only imagine my surprise when he came swinging down from a higher rooftop and landed right next to me on mine. The grappling hook make a loud zipping noise as he retracted it but he said nothing as he looked down at him. I stared at him, almost in disbelief. It had worked? I wasn't sure how to react but eventually I said something to make myself seem not quite as foolish. "Batman." It was formal. There was no tone to it, no excitement, no disgust. Nothing. Just a formal hello. His eyes narrowed and he spoke in that deep frightening voice. "Night, I'm guessing." I nodded before looking out at the dark horizon again. We stood in silence for a moment more before he finally did something. He crossed his arms. Yeah I know, it's not much. But it was enough. It showed he was listening and that he was curious. And with that, I sighed. I looked at him and for a moment I saw the doctors that had raised me from birth for my second time. My eyes burned and I looked away quickly, not able to stand the memory of my lost family. "I need your help." That caught his attention. He looked at me and though I couldn't see his eyebrows, I could have sworn that they raised. I had been so cocky with him. I had been so out there and suddenly I need help. He was probably questioning if it was a trick or not. After all, he is the world's greatest detective and I'm some unknown vigilante. He's not sure if he can trust me yet and right now, I'm not even sure if he can trust me. It had been a rough two weeks. I hadn't slept since the night the police officers tried to pull me from the bloody home. That's two weeks without a wink of sleep. Needless to say, I'm a bit wacky.

"You heard of the deaths of the doctors right?" Of course he did. I don't even know why I asked that question. He didn't answer me. He only looked away from me before snorting in disgust. I flinched at his response. I almost wished he would see me in this pitiful state and give me words of sympathy. Silly me. This was Batman. He's strong and isn't willing to give it over to anyone else for the day. No that was his strength and he wasn't one for sharing. When he didn't say anything, I looked up at him. Something in his eyes. Something seemed out of place for the first time. It looked like grief almost. I couldn't help but notice it. However, when he looked back at me, it was gone. They were the cold eyes of Batman, true and strong. "I need your help to track down the killers." He grabbed at his grappling gun and turned from me. "No." Was all he said before shooting his gun off into the distance, the hook snagging on something and locking in place. "What! Why not?" I stood quickly, glaring at him as I pouted like a little child. He turned to me, his face blank of emotion. "Some things are just best left alone." And with that he swung away. "Coward!" I yelled after him before tears that threatened me this whole time finally spilled out over my bottom lids and joined with the rainwater already on my cheeks. Maybe it was the delirium that made me do it. Maybe it was the grief that I had tried to lock away but I had just called my hero a coward and watched him swing away from me. He was right of course. He was always right. But I wasn't willing to just sit back and wait for Justice to take its course. No. I would go and make my own Justice. I would go and kill the men that killed my family those two weeks ago. I would go and make the biggest mistake of my life and pay for it with something so very dear to me, his trust.


	5. I Just Slowly Watched Him Die

His laugh, I think that's one of the main things that will forever be burned into my memory. He's up there with the sight of my dead doctors. I don't think I could ever hope to forget it. I still flinch at the sound of it even though he's not around anymore. Nightmares have haunted my dreams. That man, that laughing lunatic, he haunts everywhere I go. I can't lose him no matter how hard I tried to forget. He just laughs! He just laughs and laughs and laughs as he rips your life apart. He thinks it's funny. He thinks it's all a game and as long as he's alive, he's winning. It's as simple as that. That's how his mind works. That madman played my life like a fiddle. Who would have thought that night when Batman suddenly appeared by me wasn't because he was checking to see if I was ok but because he had a lead and was following it, finding out that it was a dead end when he saw me there. Turns out, it wasn't. The Joker, the man he was tracking, was hiding in the shadows below us and because of my shock at the sight of Batman actually swooping down to see me, I didn't sense him there. And from that moment on, Joker took a very sudden interest in my life.

I continued to hunt for the killers. Each night I would meet with a lead who would explain things to me and tell of a meeting or anything interesting. I would follow the lead and they would usually lead to something good but after that night with Batman, the information the lead was giving me, well it led me on wild goose chases. But I kept trying. Maybe it was me. Maybe I was getting there too late and was missing it somehow. It had to be me. So I kept going and things just kept getting more and more obvious that he was lying to me. And then the Joker started to appear.

Every time I went on patrol, I would catch glimpse of him. He would be there almost every night, even the ones when I searched for the killers. Somehow he knew I was there. At first I thought it was nothing than it keep growing more frequent and if I would have just listened to my gut that night, I probably would have been able to avoid him. Of course, I didn't do that. I just kept patrolling. He had learned my places and he had waited. I'm not sure what had happened. All I remember was me appearing from the shadows in an alleyway than feeling really sharp pain running through every nerve in my body. I felt myself hit the ground and my muscles tense and ache almost instantly. My teeth clenched shut and I couldn't move, couldn't speak. I could only stare up at the sky as my body stiffened with the electrical current. Than his face appeared in my vision. That horrid face. That green hair, bleached face, and yellow teeth as he laughed, revealing the tazer. I watched him strengthen the thing than the world went dark and my body finally went limp. That's all I remembered that night.

I awoke dangling from the ceiling by chains, the floor seeming to be miles below me. I could feel the cold metal cutting into my skin and even feel the small trickle of blood as it rolled along the curves of my arms. I wasn't sure what was going on to begin with. Confusion blocked my thoughts until reality hit me and it hit me hard. I looked around, noticing that lights were everywhere. There wasn't a single shadow. Even the lights didn't have shadows. They had lights on their shadows to keep them away. I felt weak in this room and blinded. I had spent all my new life in darkness, shadows, and night. These bright lights were killing me. But I didn't need to see to know who's presence I was in. That was obvious by his laugh.

The moment I heard it, my eyes opened just a little more and my head snapped up. He was there, standing in front of me in sunglasses with a smile on his face, that terrifying smile. He grasped a button that hung from the ceiling in one hand and a cane in the other. I realized quickly that the button he held controlled the hook that my chains were attached to and just holding that button proves he has control over my fate. It was a terrible feeling to know that someone as crazy as the Joker can have the thread of your life in his hands, ready to cut it at any moment. It caused a very harsh shiver to run through my spine at the thought. And for a moment, I thought that I was going to die. It was a sickening realization. Being in the grasps of the Joker, usually people didn't come out alive. I knew that my fate was similar to all the other victims he had. I knew that unless Batman suddenly learned of my location, I was going to die.

He poked at me with the cane, chuckling slightly. "Well, well, well look what the cat drug in." He hissed with laughter before pressing his foot against the railing before him, leaning forward against his bent knee. "So what is the Bat doing with a girl like you I wonder, hmm?" He poked at me so I rotated in the chains, looking down at the ground below slowly going in a circle. "I don't know what you're talking about." He slapped me on the side with his cane, bringing my spin to a stop but now rocking me roughly from side to side. "Don't play dumb with me girl!" He twitched, rocking his head to the side before sliding a hand over his hair and hissing with laughter again. "Tisk tisk, ticking me off." He looked back at me, the smile back on his face. "Now answer the question for Uncle J will you?" I said nothing and the smile faded from his face almost instantly. "Fine. I'll just let you hang here for a day or two. After that, than you'll talk." He hissed with laughter before stepping off the railing and walking along the platform to stairs that led to the ground below me. He peered over his shoulder, resting the cane on his free one. "You're grounded young lady." And with that he turned away from me, leaving me there to dangle above the ground. Leaving me with a sense of confusion and horror. Please Batman, please God let him find me. Please find me.


	6. Enter Flying Boy

"Cassandra what do you think you're doing?" Doctor Spellen asked. "Cassandra come here dear." Dr. Stephen said. "Come on Cassandra. Let's go play some basketball. And no powers either." Dr. Pritchard said. "Cassandra. Cassandra. Cassandra." Each took a turn to say my name until all faded into a blur of words. Than my eyes popped open. I gasped at the bright light and squinted. There standing before me, leaning on the railing was Joker. His smile on his face. "It's about time you woke up." I looked around. My dream. It seemed so real. I thought for a second that I was free of this chaos and back with my doctors. Figures. Fate never liked me and it likes to fuck with me. It's been three days so far and I was so hungry, I was imagining the smells of food. I could almost taste that hamburger. Joker seemed to know. Maybe it was how I couldn't hold my own body weight up and I now just dangled in the chains. The pain from the chains cutting into my wrist didn't bother me much anymore. My wrist were already rubbed raw and as long as I didn't move much, I wouldn't irritate them. So I hung there, limp and weak. He smiled at the sight, using the same cane to rotate me around. I grimaced at the pain in my wrist.

"Looks like you're ready to talk." The Joker's gleaming smile was the only thing I saw as he grasped a hold of my shirt and pulled the chains closer, pulling me over the railing. He lowered the chains enough for me to be hovering just in front of him but just short of the ground. "Now, how about you tell me why you were hanging out with Batman and tell me what you know about him." I didn't answer him. I don't think I had the strength to answer him. He grabbed my chin and lifted my head so I could look at him. My eyes were dead as they gazed into his insanity blazing ones. "Answer me girl!" I didn't and he released my chin with a grunt of disgust. "Than you can starve for another day or two." He raised the chains again and pushed me back to dangle just as I was before. I didn't care. I couldn't care. I would rather die of starvation, no matter how painful of a death that is, than tell this lunatic where Batman was.

There had to be something more to it. There just had to be. There is no way Joker would just snatch some kid off the streets because she was seen with the Batman. There had to be something to it. There just had to be. If that was the case, every single young superhero would be chained up right next to me. So why me? Why would he get me and hold me captive? Why? I couldn't find out the answer. I was dizzy and confused. I was starving and couldn't think right. Not to mention I hadn't slept since I was captured, minus the few times were I would doze off for a moment or two. These three days plus the last two weeks of no sleep, I'm lucky I haven't lost my mind yet. Maybe that was it. Maybe he was just waiting for me to crack so he could use me for whatever he wanted. I felt the warrior spirit stand tall with its flapping cape and it's proud stance say, "I will not let him take me down." But then that warrior was overcome with exhaustion and it collapsed on the ground, weakly raising its sword. "I will try to keep him from taking me down." And to think, just a few weeks ago I was so happy. One man, some lunatic had killed off my doctors and now I'm here. Fate really really doesn't like me.

I didn't even look down at him as Joker walked down the stair and under my feet on the ground below. I didn't do anything. I just hung there as my stomach growled in protest and my body tried to protest against it but was aching so much it couldn't do anything. Than suddenly, a loud crash filled the air. With a sudden burst of energy, what seemed to be the last bit of energy I had, I looked up to see a flash of black, red and green. Batman landed in front of me on the platform, his eyes locked on mine. They showed nothing. Of course they wouldn't. This is Batman. He was doing his job. No need for pity. The lad next to him though, the boy in red, green, and yellow had pity for me as he grabbed the remote and began to call the chains back to the platform. "I have her Batman. You go find th-" His words were cut off as a loud whistle filled the air. Batman grabbed Robin and both jumped from the platform. A loud bang and smoke filled the air, causing me to rock violently on the chains and cough. The rocking caused the chains to fall off the hook and I began to fall that terrible ten feet to the ground below. I tried to scream but my voice was horse and all that came out was a pathetic call.

I didn't hit the ground though. Half way through, something caught me and I looked to the side to see Robin's face, just inches from mine. I stared at him, my slow mind trying to understand what was going on. He looked down at me, smiled softly before staying, "I've gotcha." I looked away from him to see Batman and the Joker pairing off. "Don't worry about him. Batman's got him under control." Robin said before he landed on the ground. He set me on my feet but I was too weak and fell to my knees. "Woah. You've been here a while huh?" A only nodded to him before he knelt down in front of me, pulling something from his belt and using it to cut through the chains. "Don't worry. We'll get you, omf!" He flew from me. I gasped as I looked up to see what was happening. There where Robin had knelt just before now stood Harley Quinn, a sledgehammer in her hands. "Now now bird boy. You can't go stealing people's stuff." I felt a rage boiling through me and slowly my muscles began to react. They clenched as I ground my teeth. They had kidnapped me. They had hung me from the ceiling. They had tried to blow them up. Now she's just pisses me off calling me hers. I cried out in rage as I dove for her, my hands finally free of the chains thanks to Robin. She looked at him, shocked and yelped out in surprise as I tackled her to the ground. Of course, I had been dangling from the ceiling for the past few days and my wrist were raw and my body was weak. When my wrist strained to hold her down, all I felt was pain that shot up my arms and through her chest. I ignored it as best I could but even though Harley wasn't the strongest person in the world, she was stronger than me in this state. She threw me off pretty easily but the moment she went to stand up, all I saw was a blur of color and she was down on the ground again, Robin pinning her down. "Hasn't anyone taught you that people aren't things?" He asked as he held a spray in front of her face. He pressed down on the button and the spray covered Harley's face. She struggled against him for a moment more before groaning and falling asleep on the ground. Robin smirked before raising the spray for me to see. "Tranquilizer, spray style." I smiled but Robin's features changed suddenly. His eyes widened and his hand dropped. His eyes went past me and I turned to look.

Batman was down. I wasn't sure how it happened but a laughing and bloody Joker stood over him with the rocket launcher aimed right at his face. Batman looked to be out cold somehow. I looked to Robin and his features were changed. They took on the blank expression that Batman was known for. "No. Robin no. Don't do this. He'll kill you." Robin stood up and began to walk towards Joker. "Better me than him." I stared at his back as he began to sprint for Joker than he lunged at him. Joker was preoccupied with talking to himself about his success to even notice Robin. Robin slammed into him, cuasing Joker to fall to the side and accidentally pull on the trigger of the launcher. I watched as the rocket launched off into the air and crash into the ceiling, causing it to crumble. "No!" I screamed as shadows that had formed the second the lights were extinguished engulfed me than lashed out to engulf Batman. I watched as the ceiling collapsed on everything and dust blinded me.

It didn't get through the shadow barrier I had produced though. And as things finally settled, I allowed the barrier to fall away. Batman stood there, staring at a particularly higher mound than the rest of the ceiling bits. I turned my eyes in that direction and gasped as I saw the gloved hand of Robin sticking from the ceiling bits, limp and unmoving. "Oh no!" I scrambled to him as quickly as my weak legs would take me. "Robin!" I started to pull ceiling bits from on top of him. Eventually, Batman came to help me, getting the larger bits that I couldn't lift. Robin coughed when the weight was lifted from his body. He looked up at us, smiling at him. "Glad you're ok." I grasped a hold of his head and began to draw him away from the debris. Batman picked him up and carried him out into the night air, resting him on the grass in front of the warehouse. I sat down behind him, resting his head in my lap. "You'll be ok." I smiled at him as best I could through the grief that consumed me. Tears flowed down my cheeks and dropped off my chin, landing on his dirty face. He only smiled as his eyes closed. Batman left to dig through the debris, pulling out an alive and laughing Joker. Batman threw Joker on the ground, wanting nothing more than to kill the man. I could see it in his eyes. He wanted to beat Joker to a bloody pulp. He didn't though. That showed how strong Batman truly was. He wanted to murder Joker but he held off and didn't touch the man. That was something I could never do.

I looked down at Robin and his smile was still there, faint as it was. "Thank you." I whispered to him. His smile grew a bit more before finally fading and his body growing completely limp in my lap. I combed his hair out of his face before resting his head on the ground and stands. I couldn't look away from him as shadows began to engulf me and swirl around me violently. I looked at Batman and he was emotionless, his eyes gave him away. They were moist with tears and I could see the grief that consumed him. "I-I'm sorry." And with that I vanished into the darkness.


	7. There's No Place Like Home

Fate? You wanna known about Fate? She's a lying bitch. That's what Fate is. What? You didn't think it was an actual person? Of course she exists and she has one sick sense of humor. I met her. Once. I don't plan on doing it again. A creepy creature. She has the body of a five year old with eyes that tell you things you wish you never learned. Let me explain something to you. Your mysterious death should stay like that, a mystery. One look in her eyes and well, you know everything, even the little things that you never wanted to learn. I've seen how I've died. I didn't want to. She felt I needed to so I could fight. Did it help? Yeah, I guess you can say that. It got me to fight. When you see that you don't die in the fight but actually in a war years later, you tend to feel invincible and try to take on every single person in that group. I didn't die but I came damn close. The Justice League was surprised I lived through it. I knew I would but it didn't help the panic as things began to get darker as I passed out.

That's for another time, though. That story is long and well, it followed behind the death of Robin pretty easily enough. By the way, Batman hadn't talked to me in a very long time. The only time he talked to me since that day is when he needs to. It's hard to sit there knowing your hero is avoiding you because he blames you for the death of his teammate. He didn't say that. I could read it in his eyes whenever he looked at me. It was there, blazing to life each time he looked at me. It's hard. I couldn't take it anymore. I went to the road for an excuse to get away. I began to travel and I have been everywhere. If there's a place you can think of, I've been there. I like to stick to the States though. North America is always nice for me. It's my home and I like to be able to understand what people are saying. Of course, going to other countries, I have developed the language they speak and know little things here and there. It's just enough to get by. I'm not fluent in any of them. Like I said, just enough to get by.

It's been a few years since I've seen Gotham. I'm not really ready to go back yet. So I decided to visit Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I have never seen it. I've seen fakes, little parades here and there but people say New Orleans is the best. So I decided I would make a stop there. That's when I met someone that seemed to change my whole life around.

I was a mess. I was drunk, completely insane, and just causing some serious chaos. It's what you tend to do when you have lived a life like mine. Don't judge me. This was my way of relieving the stress. Well let's just say, alcohol doesn't mix well with repressed memories and anger issues. So I began to cause some serious chaos. You wouldn't believe who came to the people's rescue. It wasn't a hero. It wasn't even the Teen Titans. It was a boy. A random one, just out of the crowd. Turns out, superheroes start as random people. Who would have thought?

He swooped down from a very float and grabbed me just as I was about to strike a guy that tried to steal my pathetically small and rather puny bead. He pulled me off the ground completely and flew off. Of course, seeing the ground leaving me and the pull on her arm, I looked up and I was shocked to see a young boy, just maybe a year or two younger than me flying off with me in his grip. The weird thing was, he had no wings. He had nothing that showed he should be able to fly and I could remember me trying to figure out how he was doing it when I finally passed out from the alcohol abuse.

When I woke up the next day, my head throbbed and screamed at me. It kept cursing at me and telling me I should never ever do this again. It hurt. It was like someone took a jackhammer to the side of my skull and drove it in, over and over again till my brain bled to death. Do you have any idea how that feels? It's the worse sensation in the world. It did help though, that I woke to a dark room. There were windows. I could see the line of black around what looked like planks in front of windows. "Where….where am I?" I was talking to myself. So just imagine my surprise when I got a response. "You're at my house." I whirled around to face the sound but the motion was quick and my already dizzy head couldn't keep up. I gasped and clenched at my head, the room spinning around me. "There's a bucket on the floor in front of you." I rolled on my side and reached for it. It was the first time I had actually noticed that I was on a couch. It creaked under my weight as I grasped the bucket. I shoved my head into it and hurled what little food I had in my system in the bucket. I groaned and rolled onto my back again, once more thanking the person who owns this place for the darkness in the room. "So where is your home?"

I raised my head to focus my intense eyesight on the same boy that pulled me from the group. He was sitting in a chair a few feet away from me. He was leaning back in it. The two front legs were pulled up so they wouldn't touch the ground. I looked him over. It was definitely the boy that was flying without wings. He set the chair down on its two front legs and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You're in New Orleans. You were causing some trouble in the Quarter during a parade so I took you here to sleep and get your head on straight." I groaned as I laid my head back, not really remembering the night before. "How much trouble?" The boy smirked as he straightened. "Not too much. I got you before you really hurt a guy." I groaned again, allowing my eyes to slip closed. "God my head." The boy snickered. "Yeah, that's usually what you get when you drink as much as you did." I said nothing as I laid an arm over my eyes. "Rest, I'll be back later." He didn't have to tell me twice. I was asleep in a matter of moments.

Who would have thought this boy would impact me so much? And to think, we met the night I tried to wash away the nightmares of my past.


	8. A Hateful Welcome

My dreams were rough. I couldn't seem to escape the past no matter how much I try. These dreams. They repeated themselves time and time again. I woke, just like all the other times, sweat and gasping for breath. The boy was sitting on the edge of the couch, looking at me with concern. "Are you okay?" He asked. I shook my head as I laid it back down on the opposite armrest. No. I wasn't okay. I would never be okay again. I sighed before slowly sitting up. My headache had faded. It was still there, throbbing in the back of my head but that was bearable and no where near as nauseating. I could actually sit up without it making me want to reach for the bucket on the ground.

So I did. I pulled myself up, leaning my back on the armrest as I allowed my eyes to open to look at the boy and really look at him. He was kinda cute. He had this thin face with a jaw line of a god. His black hair was ruffled on the top of his head. He was lanky. He looked too weak to pick anything heavy up let alone pull a drunk me from the ground and carry me, even when I was unconscious. So obviously he's not weak, he just looks the part.

"Thanks for watching over me. Who are you anyways?" The boy shrugged lightly before situating on the couch edge, probably getting more comfortable. "The name's Danny. Who are you? I definitely can't go around calling you drunk girl the whole time now can I?" I smiled slightly at that comment. Though the event shouldn't be laughable, it seemed to be the only real thing I could do. Crying was out of the question so laughter is all that left besides getting mad and according to Danny, I did that just fine last night.

"You can call me Night." I hadn't referred to myself as Cassandra for a very long time. "Night? Alright then. Night, what are you doing in New Orleans causing trouble?" I snorted slightly as I stood from the couch, using the armrest to brace my wobbling self for a moment before I could get a footing. "Trying to forget." Danny's eyes flashed to mine and for a moment there wasn't pity but a look of understanding there. I looked more intensely into them but he looked away from me.

He said nothing. He only stood from the couch. "So what are you going to do now, Night?" I shrugged lightly as I walked to the window. The planks were removed and I could see out into the city. It was night. Apparently I had slept through the day completely. "I'm not sure. I might return home." I sighed as I rested a hand on the windowsill. It's been so long. I'm not sure if I even can return. "Where's your home?" I looked at Danny and smiled slightly. "I'm from Gotham." He seemed to light up like a light bulb turned on the moment it clicked where I had said I was from. "You mean 'The Gotham'? The Gotham with Batman and Robin and Batgirl." I flinched at it and reluctantly nodded. "Oh my God, that must mean you know Batman right? Or you've at least seen him?" I nodded again, turning from him to look out of the window. "But it's been so long." The grief in my voice seemed to kill his excitement and he grew quiet, the smile fading from his face. "Why did you leave Gotham, Night?"

I said nothing. I could feel the tears starting in the back of my eyes and burning them until they reached the front and flooded the bottom lid. I snapped my eyes closed, grabbing the windowsill so tightly my knuckles had turned white. I could feel the lump forming in the front of my throat and I could feel the grief just swoop down and engulf me. This was why I ran so quickly away from Gotham. This was why I was the way I was. I couldn't even speak. When I did it came out in a sorrowful whisper. "So long." Danny slowly walked to my side and rested his hand on my shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" I said nothing as the shadows around us began to dance. He looked at it and grabbed me as if to protect me from them. "What is going on?" I opened my eyes, saying nothing. They gleamed in the night as I looked out in the distance. It was time I returned home. "I'm going home."

The shadows suddenly launched from the walls, encasing me in a vortex. It swirled around me, pushing Danny away from me. He went to reach for me but when he was inches from me, a loud knock sounded from somewhere. He looked away from me, the color in his face draining quickly. I looked at him. Obviously, this wasn't good and being the person I am, I can't just leave him. So I grabbed his arm and ripped him into the shadows. I moved us against the wall and hold him in place, the shadows darkening the room around us. I shushed him as I stepped from the shadows. I moved in front of the window. Yes this may be a bit extreme but seeing that Danny didn't exactly object to it, I continued on what I was doing. He remained exactly where I left him, frozen in place.

The knock sounded again but louder and fiercer. This time it was also accompanied by Danny's name being yelled out in rage. I looked once at Danny, putting a finger to my lips just as the door to the bedroom was thrown open. I looked out of the window again, my hands resting on the sill. A gruff man walked into the room. His face was red and he looked completely drunk. He looked around the room but only found me there. "Who are you? Where the hell is Danny?" I said nothing. I only stared out at the night. "I'm not going to ask you again." He took a step towards me. "Where is Danny?" I still said nothing.

He grew angrier and angrier before taking a step towards me again, a hand reaching for me. "Hey! I'm talking t-" Shadows danced on the wall and he froze, looking around. Finally I spoke up. My voice was deep and harsh. "Do you want to know why people are afraid of the dark?" He took a slow step away from me. "What are you?" I turned to look at him. Shadows had gathered on my face and body, making me look much more frightening than I originally looked like. "I am Night!" And I lunged at him, throwing my whole body weight on him. He slammed violently onto the ground, screaming in panic. I opened my mouth and shadows spread from my open lips. He screamed more, trying to retreat from under me. I released an odd screech that burned the back of my throat. He screamed again and finally squirmed free from me and took off in a sprint out of the room. I screeched again, the shadows launching out after him for a moment before retreating back to where they belong.

I stood up and cleared my throat. It burned now. "Damn. Maybe I overdid it." Danny stared at me with wide eyes. "What are you?" I looked at him and smiled. "There's a reason I'm called Night. I'm just like you. I'm special." He stepped out from the shadows and looked at my completely normal face. He smiled slightly. Apparently he had never seen someone like him. It must be a comfort for him to finally meet someone like me. "Well now. I'm need to be going. Gotham calls me." Helping him like I did, it reminded me of the times that I spent in Gotham. It reminded me of the times I spent saving people and keeping the city safe. I needed that. I needed to be what I was made to be. I needed to be a hero again.

I pulled myself on the sill of the window and pulled it open. I looked out at the night sky and smiled, enjoying the sensation of it on my face. I was just about to jump when I felt Danny's eyes on my back. I looked at him and he smiled slightly. I turned to face him completely before holding my hand out for him. "Come with me." He looked at my hand than back at me with a confused expression. "What?" I smiled at him, a soft sweet smile. "Come with me." He hesitated for a moment before grasping my hand. I smiled as shadows engulfed us both and whisked us away. Ready or not Gotham, here I come.


	9. Running Eagle

She had foiled him, foiled him too many times. Okay, it was just once but that doesn't matter. She had foiled his plans, even after he went through all that trouble to kill off her doctors in hope of her coming straight to him the moment he opened his arms for her. After all, the mentally unstable just need a little push into insanity than once they're across that line, they're his. But she ran into Batman before running into him. Go figure The Old Batsie would give her a really short and stern peptalk than send her on her way. She was so close. So close to be his. Batman always ruins his fun. Joker slammed his cane into the doorframe before gasping and looking at it for damage. It was chipped. Batman made him do this. His good cane. "Damn you Bat! One day I will get you!" He went to slam his cane into the doorframe again but caught it this time. She spun it around in his hands before tucking it under his arm with a hiss of laughter. "That was a close one."

"Puddin!" Came the normal cry from his girl just in the other room. Joker had just made it back to the base and already she was calling him. "Not now Harley…" He groaned as he pressed his hat down past his eyes, grumbling something about peace when he got home under his breath. "Puddin? Did you find her?" Harley Quinn stuck her masked head into the room Joker stood in. "Did ya puddin?" Joker looked at her under the rim of his head, her lips pulled back in a vicious snarl. "No" He hissed through clenched teeth. "I didn't find her." Harley clasped her hands and raised them to her chin, obviously unaware of the rage that was presented to her through Joker's stance and the way he talked to her. "Oh puddin! You'll get her next time." It took everything the Joker had to not hit her across the head with this cane. His hands shook and he even raised the cane to strike her when the sound of the TV caught his attention. It was set to the news and was talking about a new apparent hero in Gotham. He grabbed Harley's arms and moved her aside so he could peek into the other room. There on the news was a picture with scruffy black hair, lanky boy too. He was flying and without any wings or anything needed.

It meant nothing to him until they said he was hanging out with Night, the returned hero of Gotham. His vicious smile crossed his features as he ran past Harley and sat in front of the TV like a little child watching their favorite shows. His hands in his lap and leaning forward, eyes glued to the TV. When the news showed him flying about in Gotham's air, Joker could do nothing but hiss with laughter. It looked like he had a new play thing. "It looks like we have a new neighbor." Harley picked her head in the room and looked at Joker before looking at the TV. "Who? Him?" Joker stood up and pointed his cane at the TV. "Not to mention he's running around with our little favorite superhero. Maybe there's a chance to get her after all." He spun the cane before tucking it under his arm and situating his hat so the rim shaded his eyes from Harley. He whirled around and grabbed her. He pulled her into a deep dip and she giggled in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Oh Mr. J!"

Joker leaned in close, his breath engulfing her face and she practically fainted with joy. "Let's go make our new neighbor welcome shall we." He released her and she fell with a thump on the ground. "Than we can finally have the girl!" He spread his arms, the cane scrapping across the ceiling and causing small bits to fall down around him. It was then followed by the banging of the people above them. Joker's pose fell and he stared at the ceiling, a frown on his face. "I hate apartments." Harley stood up, fixing her headdress before grabbing the broom that just happened to be leaning against the wall next to her and slammed the tip into the ceiling three good times.

It was quickly followed by three solid marks and someone yelling. Harley laughed before making a beat with the end of the broom on the ceiling which was quickly followed by shots and more slamming on the ground though it wasn't as musical as Harley Quinn's. Joker's frown only deepened at their obvious inability to play along. "Remind me to pay them a visit later." Harley laughed and nodded as she spun the broom. "What now puddin? What are we going to do?" Joker's frown quickly morphed into a grin that broke his face in two as he glanced at the tv, the boy's face still on the screen. "I think we should go and make a friend." He walked past her and grasped his jacket as he walked past and opened the door, leading the way into the hall. Harley giggled as she set the broom against the wall once more before following him. They're going to go make some friends. It's always fun to make new friends. Time to have some fun.


	10. Not on My Watch

"Danny!" I flew from shadow to shadow, following the blimp as it soared higher and higher into the sky. "Night!" Danny screamed back at me as he clawed desperately at the net that now bound him to the blimp. Joker's laughter could be heard over the city as it came off loud speakers attached to the top of it, his face printed on its side. "Ah Night. So good of you to join us. I hope you don't mind but I'm going to be borrowing your little friend here." His laughter filled the night air again and I couldn't stand it. I began to follow the higher shadows, trying to get to him before it was too late. He tried to desperately to get free but just as I thought he had managed to do it, a powerful volt of electricity passed through it and thus through him, knocking him unconscious instantly. "Damnit Joker." I was gliding along the rooftops now, vanishing within a large shadow. I could see that if I didn't try now than I would never get a chance to catch him. "Danny!" I launched myself out of the shadow and grasped a hold of the net. "Danny! Danny wake up!" I reached in and grabbed his arm. "Come on Danny! Wake up!" He groaned and slowly opened an eye, obviously weak from the shock but alive. "Night?" I sighed a huge sigh of relief as I reached down for my belt, grasping a hold of a knife. "I've got you Danny. I'm going to cut you fre-" Suddenly a huge shock passed through the net, catching me in its path and directing all its electricity on the metal knife in my hand. Thankfully Danny was saved from the shock but I could do nothing as every muscle in my body clenched, tightening my grip on the net and sealing my fate. I screamed as the electricity passed through me and burned into my palm. "Night!" I heard Danny scream just as the shock ended. My body finally relaxed, hurling me into darkness as I fell unconscious. Danny could do nothing excepted grab at me as I plummeted from the blimp. "Night!" He was an inch short and I fell away from him, dropping through the air like a pebble. Joker's laughter filled the air once more as he leaned against the window to watch me fall. "Nighty Night!" He hissed with laughter but the darkness protects its master. Before I could crash into the paved road below, it spread like an oil spill and consumed me into is grasp.

One thing you should know about the darkness I use to travel. It has a mind of its own. I control it but it is a living breathing thing. Usually when you see shadows moving it's not because you're imagining it. Shadows live. Simple as that. So when they think I'm in trouble, they act and protect me. They can act as portals to different places, houses, apartments, roads, sometimes even different worlds. For where there is light there will forever be darkness and even with the void of light, there is still darkness but there is nothing there to distinguish the difference between them. So it teleported me to a place it knew I would be safe, a place it could trust. That place just happened to be the very intricate basement of the well known and rather rich Bruce Wayne. Only problem is, I was moving, fast. The shadows had caught me out of the air just as I was about to collide with pavement twenty feet below the blimp. The speed that I was traveling wasn't in the capacity of the shadow's ability to predict or understand. It only saw me in danger and so it acted. When it released me in the Batcave, I came crashing in. It just happened that Dick Grayson, the new robin, had got himself into trouble and was ordered to tidy up the Batcave. I crashed right into him and took him down with me.

I was still unconscious thank you very much. So I didn't feel the hit or the collision with the ground, yet anyways. He did. He was taken off guard and was slammed into the ground hard. He came crashing to the ground and we both rolled with each other for a bit before he caught himself and stopped his movement, leaving me rolling on the ground for another foot or so. When I finally stopped I was bloody, scrapped up, and on my stomach, unconscious. He looked at me in shock than was on his feet in seconds, his hand on an elongated staff that just seemed to appear out of no where. He slowly approached me, poking at me with the staff. "What in the world…" The shadows, not knowing him, reacted and lashed out about me, coiling like a cobra. He could almost hear the hiss. He took a step back, ready to strike the shadows when the dark booming voice of the powerful Batman filled the Batcave, echoing off the walls. "Leave her!" He dropped down in front of Dick and slowly stood, completely decked out in his Batman outfit. "Who is she?" Dick asked as the staff shrunk to a small pipe looking thing that was only a few inches bigger than his palm. "This is Cassandra or you might know her best as Night." Dick looked at me in disbelief. "This is The Night. The girl that can use shadows to move quicker than our jets? She doesn't look like much." He went to take a step forward and the shadows flared, guarding me as they grew larger, looking more of a threat than before. He took a step back from me and the shadows lowered. "Yeah that's her." Batman stood and began to walk towards me. The shadows parted like the Red Sea and allowed him pass, Dick followed close behind. "How did she get here? Why is she unconscious?" Batman shot Dick a glare and he got quiet instantly, resting his hands on the broom he dropped when I crashed into him and leaned up against it, resting his palms on its top and his chin on the top of his hands. Batman knelt down by me and the shadows scattered, content enough to leave me be. "She's been shocked pretty badly." Dick peered over his shoulder to look at me. "How do you know?" Batman held up my hand with the now burned impression of the knife in its palm. "She was holding a knife, electricity went straight to it." He lowered my hand and rolled me over on my back, my face scrapped from the collision with Dick. "She was probably unconscious when she was brought her or else she would have avoided you." He continued his look over as Dick eyed my face. "I wonder why she's unconscious in the first place. She is incredibly fast after all." Batman slowly shrugged before standing up, picking me up in his arms as he did so. "I have a feeling Joker has something to do with it." He flew past Dick and laid me on a table, pressing a button on his gauntlet. Alfred's voice cut in. "Yes Sir." "Alfred, Cassandra's here. She needs some fixing up." Without hesistation, Alfred answered back. "Coming sir." Batman gave one last look at me before turning to his computer and getting to work to see just what the Joker had been up to. Dick watched over me as Alfred made his way down, looking at me intently as if he expected me to just pop up and start dancing or something. I was unconscious so there wouldn't be any dancing happening, though that's not my style anyways. All I could think about was Danny, him screaming my name still echoing in my head. I needed to get to him. I needed to get to him soon.


	11. Here We Go Again

I awoke with a start, sitting straight up. Sweat beaded my forehead and I could feel my heart beating so roughly in my chest it made me worry. My hands were shaking and my face was pale and there were so many pains. It felt as if a rib or two was broken. I grasped my head, clenching it tightly as memories of what happened flashed before me. I gasped as pain shot through my whole body and I could sense the shadows, caressing me, holding me, comforting me. Their presence relaxed me and soon the pain faded. When I finally opened my eyes, the shadows parted to reveal the bat cave. I looked around, finding Alfred, Dick, and Batman himself staring at me. I moved quickly, well as quickly as my body would allow, and slipped off the table to only wobble and almost fall. Instantly the shadows reacted and they caught me. They straightened me to my full height and my eyes locked on Dick, the new robin. "Where is he? Why am I here?" Dick snorted and crossed his arms. "We were hoping you could tell us. Who is he?" Alfred gave me a look over, his fingers touching me here and there, making sure I wasn't hurt too badly before closing his bag. "She'll be okay sir." Batman nodded. "Thank you Alfred." He nodded before turning from us and leaving.

I looked at Batman than at Dick, a snarl on my face. "Where is he? How did I get here? Tell me now!" Batman didn't say anything, he only watched me and Dick shot me a look. "Look we don't know what you're talking about. How about you sit down and explain it to us?" I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Danny. Where is Danny?" Dick sighed as he threw his hands up. "Well this is getting nowhere." He grabbed the broom again and walked off, getting back to his chores. Batman still hadn't said anything. He just kept watching me. I was getting just as frustrated as Dick about this whole situation. "I was trying to get him back. Joker grabbed him and I was working to get him back when suddenly everything went black." I looked at Batman, my eyes pleading. "Please. Danny- he's all I've got. Please Batman. I need him." Dick was quiet with his back to us a few feet away but I knew he was listening. My eyes moved to his back, sadness consuming me features. "You know how it feels to lose someone so close." Batman's face didn't change and Dick even stiffened at my comment, I looked back at Batman. "Please…Batman, please."

Batman turned from me, his back facing me as he began to walk away from me. I stared at him, my heart breaking. I was going to lose everything because Batman couldn't forgive me. "Fine!" I stomped, the shadows lashing out around me. "If you're not going to help me, I'm going to do it myself. I'm going to track him down on my own." Dick turned around, his eyes wide. "Don't go! You are still weak. You can't do this on your own." I looked at him before raising a hand, the shadows condensing around me. I didn't say anything as they consumed me, teleporting me outside of the Batcave and into the city outside it. I was still weak and I needed the help of my shadows to remain standing properly. I looked around, gauging where in the city I was and how long it would take me to explore it and find out where they were holding Danny. I figured that it would take around an hour to an hour in a half to explore this whole city and find my boy. I had no time to lose.

I looked down. I was standing at my usually watcher spot on the top of a skyscraper. I needed to get higher. I needed to see if I could still see the blimp. My heart began to race again as I thought about ways to doing it and it thumped in my chest painful as I settled on a thought. I slowly began to back from the edge, my eyes closed. "You can do this. It's for Danny." I sighed before taking a full run and jumping off the roof. I pulled my arms and legs in, watching the ground grow closer and closer with each passing second. I tried to steady my desperate breathing as shadows began to develop on the cement below me. People were screaming. They watched me plummet in horror, thinking I was killing myself. I had to ignore them. I had no time to console them now.

I continued to plummet, my speeds reaching in the late eighties high nineties. I continued to gain speed as I dropped but suddenly, a car turned the corner and its bright headlights consumed the shadows and they vanished. Panic constricted my throat as I realized that with the shadows gone, I would collide with the cement. I threw my arms out, trying to slow myself down as best I could but it was too late. I was mere feet from the ground. People began to scream even louder as they watches me getting closer. They screamed for someone to help me but it was much too late. I had collided with the cement but there was nothing there. A black shadow remained in the spot where I had hit the ground. Just seconds later after my collision and disappearance, I appeared again, flying at amazing speed through the same shadow I had disappeared through. I was flying at almost ninety miles per hour and I was launching myself into the air at amazing speeds.

When I came to the time of my descending speed and began to drop, I could see above all the buildings. I looked around, spotting the toyshop that had the clown on the top of it. That seemed like the best place to start looking. So as I began to descend, I weaved my way to towards the building, shadows preparing to reach out and grab me. I slammed into the shadows again and they started to slow down my descent until I could walk into the building. I slipped out of the shadows slowly, not seeing anyone to begin with. I walked quietly to a door just in front of me and peered in through the doorframe. The room seemed to be the main workshop and I scanned the room. I saw the Joker and I retreated, pressing my back against the wall next to the doorframe. I took a second to slow my heart before finally peeking back around. I saw the Joker and instead and running behind the wall, I looked pass him and saw Danny chained to the table. I had to cover my mouth to keep from making a noise. Memories of when Joker had me flashed through my mind. This would be so difficult for me.

I turned around again and pressed my back against the wall. I needed to save him. I needed to get him away from the Joker. But how?


	12. Night is Calling

Happiness. I know I spoke of it before but now as I stand with my back pressed firmly against the wall with Joker and Danny in the room just behind me, I couldn't help but think back on that word. I didn't know what happiness was. I didn't even want to know. I didn't want to look at my life and even consider that I was once happy but yet here I stand, heart racing and thinking that if I didn't do something fast, Danny would be lost to me forever, and I couldn't help but think of how happy he has actually made me. I couldn't see it till now but ever since Danny has joined me in Gotham, I have actually smiled and I have actually been happy. Difficult to understand I know but that just shows how great of a gift he was to me. I needed someone there to help me get on the right path and he did without questioning me, without asking why I was in New Orleans that day. He never once asked and because of that, I needed to save him. I needed to get him back.

I thought back on my past, on the things the doctors told me. "Use your head, not just your body." I nodded slowly before peering around the corner. I looked around the room. Joker had the same set up as he had when I was his prisoner. Maybe he expecting me to come to Danny's rescue. I'm not surprised but he didn't get all the places. There in the far corner of the room was a hole, maybe a mouse hole but a hole nonetheless and from the hole comes shadows. I can't just throw the shadows out of the mouse hole, there wouldn't be enough to last all the way to Joker. I would have to use it to get to the other side of the room. It would be a tight squeeze but if I could get over there, I could get a better view of the room before trying an attack. So with a deep inhale of breath, a vanished into the shadows again.

I didn't fully appear in the small gap between the two walls. I couldn't. There wasn't enough room for me to fit but there was enough for me to phase my body through the shadows enough for me to see out of the hole. It was probably an odd sight. I had laid on the ground where I started, my body from my shoulders down obvious but the top of my shoulders and my head vanished into the shadows that danced on the wall. It made me vulnerable but I could see Joker and keep an eye out to make sure he doesn't go for my body. So I began to work on the mouse hole, making it bigger as quickly and quietly as I could. It took a long time, a lot longer than I would have liked but I had finally got it open more without him noticing and by the time I did finally get it open, Danny was awake. Joker was now talking to Danny as if they were the best of friends. It enraged me but I kept it in check as I continued to work.

I peered out of the larger hole now and could see that one of the light fixture's cord was laying just in front of me. If I could reach it, I could unplug it and darken a part of the room. It would be risky but Joker didn't seem to be looking so I reached out of the hole and grabbed a hold of the cord. I began to tug and the fixture began to move instead of the plug falling out. It made a low scraping noise and I was forced to stop when Joker peered around to see what the noise was. I retracted my hand in quickly and sat completely still, waiting for him to turn back to Danny. When he finally did, I reached for the cord and this time, I just pulled the cord, uncaring if it unplugged or if it crashed to the ground. Either way, the light would go out. It was just my luck that the light was not only unplugged but managed to crash to the ground as well, shattering the lightbulb and filling the room with noise.

Joker whirled around to find my hand retracting into the hole. "Ah-Ha!" He declared as he ran forward, diving to try and grab my hand but he was too late. I was behind the wall and retreating by the time his hand reached the hole. Within moments I was back where I started and I was working on the other lights now with the available shadows in the room. Within seconds, the room was in pitch black darkness. Thankfully I could see well in the dark and I watched as Joker slowly stood, his head turning this way and that, listening to everything in the room. The place was now dead silent and because of that, I could hear Harley Quinn's quiet footsteps as she approached me from behind. I whirled around, clasped a hand over her mouth and twirled around her, putting her in a sleeper hold. She tried to say something pass my hand but it only came out in a muttered jumble of words. It was enough, however, for the listening madman in the other room. He came running quickly and I could hear him cursing as he grew closer and closer to the wall. I kept my hold on Harley. Joker would hit the wall in three, two, one. A loud bang sounded on the wall next to me then a thud and more cursing. Joker couldn't see well. It was a plus for my side.

Harley struggled for only a second more before I lowered her to the ground unconscious. I retreated into the shadows as Joker fumbled his way into the hallway, tripping over Harley as he did so. I stepped out next to Danny and glided my finger along his arm, shushing him quietly so he wouldn't make a noise. I pulled a file out of my pocket and began to get to work. It wasn't the best idea around but it was the best I had and though Danny sat perfectly still on the table, listening for Joker, it was still a difficult process. I was half way through the first chain when Joker appeared in the room again. I could tell he was mad and he was still blind as a bat. I laughed to myself silently as I watched him stagger around, rage clear on his features. "Where are you girl?" He screamed into the darkness as I quietly worked on Danny's chain. By the time Joker got to the table, I had made it through the chain and had moved to the other side of the table, sure to keep contact with Danny in some way, shape, or form to make sure he knew I was still there. Joker waved his hands over Danny, testing to see if I was there. He had no idea I was watching him from just across the table as I silently worked on Danny's chain, trying to keep it slow so no sparks would arise.

"I know you're in here! Show yourself!" I did nothing, just continued my work as he slowly began to fumble to my side of the table. I cursed to myself as I moved to the other side, sure to glide my fingers along Danny to make sure he knew where I was. Joker waved his hands on that side as well and roared out in rage. He was at a huge disadvantage here and he knew it. "I will find you girl and when I do, oh I will have so much fun." I only watched him, waiting for him to leave Danny's side when suddenly the ceiling crashed in form above, flooding the room with moonlight. I gasped and looked up to find Batman falling down from the hole, a black and red Robin by his side. "No, not again." I said to myself as Joker launched himself across the table at me. "Night!" Danny screamed and it caught my attention. My head snapped in that direction to only have Joker slam into me and tackle me to the ground. "Told you I would find you." I didn't pay him much mind as I looked passed him to the ceiling. Why did it always have to be a crumbling ceiling that was the ending results with Joker and me. The flash of silver caught my attention though and I looked at Joker who had drawn a rather large knife. "You're mine now." He was just seconds from plunging it into my chest when Batman grabbed him and threw him off me. Dick was now working on Danny's chains and was yelling at me to leave. I wasn't going to allow this to happen again so I dissolved into the shadows just as Danny was finally released from his bindings.

I appeared behind Joker, grabbing a hold of him and pulling him from Batman, pinning his arms behind his head. "Danny get them out of here!" Without even hesitating, Danny was off the table, grabbing Batman who was still trying to fight Joker while Robin used his grappling gun to pull himself out of the hole they had made. Batman left with Danny but just as they were about to pass through the hole, Danny looked back at me. Concern was clear on his features and I only smiled at him. "Night! No!" Then the ceiling collapsed and I felt its crushing blow, Joker finally released from my hold.

It took Danny a long time to finally find Night under all the rubble. He pulled and threw stones left and right as he rummaged, Robin and Batman both helping him. They found Joker first. Batman yanked him out from under a large boulder to only declare the madman dead. It took them a few more minutes to finally find her. Danny gently moved the rocks aside and her hand was revealed. He called out to Batman and Robin as he began to pull the rubble from on top of her. "Come on Night! Don't do this to me!" He finally exposed her and picked her up into his arms, carrying her to a safe distance away from the rubble. He set her down and checked for a pulse. There was one there and he felt for her breathing. It was shallow and wheezing. Robin dropped down by her, checking her body over. After a long time he just shook his head. "She has a few more minutes to live, maybe less." Danny reacted harshly, grabbing the front of Dick's shirt and pulling him close. "She can't die! You have to do something. You're Robin! You have to be able to do something!" Robin only shook his head, gently releasing his shirt from Danny's hands. "Her lung is punctured and she's drowning. We don't have the right stuff and by the time the paramedics get here, she'll be dead. I'm sorry." Danny released him and looked down at Night on the ground. He wasn't sure what he could do without her. Tears of panic and grief consumed him. The best he could do for her now was hold her as she passed.

He dropped down next to her, pulling her head onto his lap and combing his fingers through her hair, whispering sweet things to her. He could have sworn it was working. He saw that side of her mouth quirk up in a smile as the last of her breathes were released in a low wheeze. Just before she passed, the shadows around them lashed out and engulfed her and when they retreated, he was left with an empty lap, his hands still cupped in the way that he was holding her. He sat there for a long time, it felt like hours, before he stood and began to head home. He felt lost, in a trance as he made his way home. People passed him on the streets and finally the sirens of the ambulance sounded as they passed him, followed by a police car and a fire truck as they raced to the sight of the battle. Danny watched them pass, feeling almost a burning hatred for them. If they would have gotten there earlier, Night would still be alive. He forced his eyes away from the flashing lights as he continued home.

It took his shaking hands a few moments to open the door and he walked in, dropping his key on the table just behind the door. He didn't even bother locking it. He simply closed the door and stood in the living room, a couch and a tv the only thing distinguishing it from the kitchen just next to it. He only stared at the tv before slowly heading to the one bedroom the apartment had for them. I went to collapse on the bed but something caught his attention and his eyes lowered to the end of the bed. There, at the end of it rested a black rose. Confusion creased his forehead as he reached down for the rose. Soon he learned that there was no real flower to the rose stem. Instead, it was shadows that stood firmly in place to look like a black rose. A smile began to form on his features as he looked around. She wasn't in the room. He could tell that but she was alive. The smile grew as he ran to the window, peering out at the night. She wasn't dead. She was still alive. He ripped the window open and leaned out, peering at all the shadows below him. No sign of her but the joy he felt of knowing she was alive was enough. She was alive! You can't kill of Night.


End file.
